Ankle-supporter



(No Model.)

B. H. GOLDEN.

ANKLE SUPPORTER.

No. 398,892. Pate a1". 5, 1889.

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I i "'"Hulmmmliillm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD H. GOLDEN, OF SOUTH NORIVALK, CONNECTICUT.

AN KLE-SU PPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,892, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed July 26, 1888. Serial No. 281,064. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

1 denotes the sides of the supporter, and 2 Be it known that I, RICHARD H. GOLDEN,a and 3 the upper and lower plies, respectively,

citizen of the United States, residing at South Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ankle-Supporters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and 1 use the same.

This invention is an improvement upon the constructions shown in Letters Patent to John (,ir. Pugsley, No. 212,261, dated February 11, .1879; No. 216,106, dated June 3, 1879, and No. 316,606, dated August 3, 1886, of all of which I am joint owner with the said Pu gsley.

The object of my invention is to so improve the details of construction as to add greatly to the firmness and durability of the supporters, tlu reby greatly improving their operation in use.

\Vith these ends in view I have devised the novel improvements in the details of construction which I will now describe, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming a portion of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the blank from which the supporter is made; Fig. 2, a perspective of the blank bent to form, but not secured; 3, a longitudinal section of the finished supporter; Fig. 4-, a perspective of a finished supporter, and Fig. 5 a plan view of one of the finishing-strips.

The blank is made of stiff material, preferably leather or stiffened felt, and is usually beveled, as shown in Patent No. $456,606, referred to. The presentblauk is of nearly the same shape as in the said former patent, with the exception that it is made longer, the proportions of the blank being such that when the supporter is formed the bottom is made to consist, primarily, of two full plies of the material thereof. In Fig. 1 the dotted line denotes the lower end of the blank, as shown in the said Patent No. 3%,606, and as the supporters have heretofore been manufactured the portion below the dotted line being the portion used to form the solid double bottom of the completed supporter.

of the double bottom. In practice these two plies are lapped over each other and are riveted, eyeleted, or cemented together. The bottoms are then finished by the inner ply, at, and the outer ply, 5, which need not be very heavy, but which give an inner and outer finish to the completed article and add more or less to its strength. The eyelets, when used, may or may not pass through cit-her the inner or outer plies, or both, the main strength of the completed bottom being secured by plies 2 and 3 of the material of the supporter, which are of course firmly scoured together.

Another difficulty which has heretofore e.\' isted in connection with this class of supporters has been that they have not been provided with any means of adjustment to different sizes of ankles. If the ankles were large, the supporters were quickly sprung out of place and lost their efficiency. If the ankles were abnormally small, the full effect of the supporters was not gained; and, furthermore, in walking and in warm weather it has been found Very desirable that means should be provided whereby the supporters might be loosened and drawn up. I have therefore provided lacing-holes 6 at the front, so that they may be laced across the front in the same manner as the upper portion of an ordinary shoe.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- An ankle-supporter the body of which consists of a single piece of material and the bottom of which has two full overlapping plies integral with the said body, and inde-.

pendent plies 4 and 5, secured to the inner and outer of the said overlapping plies, the said body being provided at its front side with lacing-holes, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD H. GOLDEN.

Vitnesses:

JOSEPH TAYLOR, JOHN H. LIGHT. 

